Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him. -Luke 5:10b-11

I sat on the sidewalk digging in the flowerbed in front of our church: the little white church on the corner one block east of Columbine Elementary School. On the same block across the street stood a low-income apartment complex estimated to house over 350 kids and their families. None of our members lived in this neighborhood. Every Sunday we drove in from other parts of town and nearby communities, from home to car to church and back again.

I dug my hand shovel into the soil hardened by winter. The smells of early gardening awakened my senses and suddenly sounds all around caught my attention: dogs barking, kids playing, stroller wheels squeaking, lawnmowers, cars, and a lively local radio station.

I was a young, green pastor planting flowers and listening to the sounds of our church’s neighborhood, a community of people we didn’t know, when my heart heard the words, “Be my presence here,” or as Jesus said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water.” God had my attention.

Not long after that our little congregation began to ask ourselves questions. We matched needs in our neighborhood with resident giftedness and discovered we could provide a tutoring service one afternoon a week to help kids experience success at school.

We talked with school officials, set up volunteer schedules, purchased snacks and supplies, printed flyers, and launched out into the deep. Every Tuesday, four weeks in a row, we met at the church, put out our signs, and waited. No one came. Then, on the fifth week, they started coming, and it continued week after week after week-four, then nine, then 12, and sometimes 20 or more. Our nets were full.

For ten years the Homework Club at the little white church on the corner “put out into the deep,” touching hundreds of lives in ways that changed all of us, and we were amazed.

Prayer Phrase

God is here today. (“Dios est\xc3\xa1 aqu\xc3\xad” CCS 150)

Spiritual Practice

Breathing in the Spirit

Find a comfortable but alert position and begin to breathe deeply. With each breath, feel yourself relax, releasing anything that feels constricting. Imagine that each breath is the wind of the Spirit moving through your being, stirring up what is most alive in you. Relax into the flow of the Spirit and notice what awareness or invitation emerges.

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

CofChrist News

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